Foam Party
by 98forever
Summary: AU. Rachel finds parties aren't really her scene. Also, she tells everyone to refrain from smoking. Faberry!
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

"Why am I even doing this?" thought one Rachel Berry to herself as she stared at her clothes in the cabinet she just opened. "Right. I'm going because I want to make sure Kurt and Mercedes don't do anything detrimental to their health." At least, that's what she keeps on repeating to herself. And to the people around her.

"How much again was the ticket?," were the words blared from her phone on the bed.

"Eighteen! And with free drinks. Personally, I think it's a pretty good deal. Do you think I would look good in black? Should I wear a black-colored one? What if I get lost and Kurt can't spot me? Oh god, should I wear a neon one?," shouted Rachel as she reached for her bright yellow shirt with an even brighter star printed on the center.

"It's a great deal if the drinks actually get anyone drunk. Oh, jesus! No, no no no!" was the reply. There was a bit of crashing noises before Rachel heard anything. "Sorry Rach. Someone shot me. I think wearing black is good, it can hide food stains. And sweat."

"Please don't talk about the sweat, Finn. You know how anxious I feel already. Let's not have it escalate to disgust. But you do make fine points about black outfits. It is a foam party, afterall. I don't want uneven wet spots on my shirt," nodded Rachel to herself.

"Wear shorts!," reminded Finn.

"Alright."

"I still can't believe you're doing this, though! I mean, you sing and study. That's pretty much what you do with your time."

"That is completely untrue, Finn. Singing and studying are not all that I do. I have ballet classes, dancing classes, and yes, they are separate classes! I do my exercises on the elliptical, I also would like to point out that I–"

"Goddamn it… Look, Rachel, I keep on getting shot when I'm on the phone with you," interrupted Finn.

Rachel rolled her eyes, "You should not even be doing something else because you're talking to someone. Isn't that what well-mannered people do?"

Finn laughed, "I gotta go, Rachel. I have to beat this level. Call me when you're back home so I know you're safe. Have fun, and don't get trashed, okay?"

"I wouldn't, as you eloquently put it, get trashed."

"Hm. Yeah, I don't even think you'd get drunk at all. And don't take that as a challenge." Rachel laughed at this. "Anyway, I'm going," and the call was ended.

Rachel stared at her (rare) black clothing and decided that, nope! She was _not_ in the mood to get lost tonight.

* * *

"Hello, darling Rachel. Aren't you just dashing?," said a smirking Kurt as he scrutinized Rachel's outfit.

Rachel huffed and said, "I actually considered wearing black, by Finn's suggestion, but I remembered that I would probably have a hard time looking for my companions if I ever were lost."

"Well, we certainly won't lose you now," Kurt laughed.

Mercedes squeezed Rachel's arm and said, "Don't mind Kurt. People here will be too drunk to mind your top. " Rachel wasn't sure if that was supposed to comfort her or just placate her, but before she could decide, Kurt enthusiastically grabbed her arm and led them all to _Sizzlers_.

"Your legs _do_ look good in those shorts."

* * *

Since she wasn't very hungry, Rachel didn't buy anything from the restaurant. Instead, she listened to Kurt grumble about Finn's "unresponsiveness" to his flirting. "Honestly, it just doesn't make sense. I have a _keen_ fashion sense, I am sharp as a tack, and I have really good skin!"

Mercedes nodded, "Well, yes to all of that."

"And how could we forget my talent?," Kurt said pitifully to them. Then he and Mercedes did a gesture with their hands (Rachel was never sure what to call it), clapping their hands once, before waving it a few times around, and then snapping their right hand. It was this kind of moments that reminded Rachel of how much she herself wanted a bestfriend. She knew she was being greedy, so she shrugged off the envy and started singing faintly: _We've got more than we know / My friends are different breed / My friends are everything…_

"My, my! Is Rachel Berry singing…" started Kurt.

"…contemporary music?" finished Mercedes.

Rachel smiled and said, "The lyrics are fitting, aren't they?"

Kurt and Mercedes shrugged.

"So. When do we go to the party? I'm guessing it's after you've finished eating," said Rachel while looking at her wristwatch.

"You've got to chill, Rachel. No one really goes to a party this early on," replied Mercedes.

Rachel furrowed her brows, "It's 10:00…"

* * *

The line was lengthy. The three arrived at 10:40, and had Rachel not started talking about punctuality and "proper courtesy", they would have arrived even later.

Rachel found the location to be a bit odd. The space at the back of the mall was equipped with a lot of lights (Red especially, Rachel noted), and the House music seemed to be coming from there as well. The place seemed so small for Rachel's liking, but she supposed it served a purpose unknown to her. Afterall, Rachel didn't go to many parties.

"I told you so," Rachel huffed.

Kurt rolled his eyes and turned to Mercedes, "I told you she'd say that!"

Mercedes laughed, "Well, she _is_ kind'a right to say that."

"I ain't about to wait in this long-ass line, Q," said a girl near them. She was in between two blondes, one of them nodding to her friend; the other looking bored.

Then the girl called "Q" and the girl looked to be having some sort of dispute, the girl irate at having to wait, while the other kept on rolling her eyes. Until finally, "Q" huffed and said to her friends, "You act as if we've never done this before."

"Done what?"

"Santana, really..?"

Santana nodded after a beat, "Good idea. Why tell me only now?"

Before she could say anything, the other blonde asked, "What's the idea?"

* * *

Rachel was feeling annoyed. "Did you see that? That is totally not fair! Beyond doubt it is unethical! This is a _line_, people. When you arrive lastly, you go in lastly! You don't just saddle up to an official and flirt your way in! That may happen in movies every now and then, but there is the fact that movies aren't typically good examples of ideal behavior! Statistics show that–"

"Oh, wow. I cannot believe you were just about to spout off statistics," said Kurt.

Rachel crossed her arms and said, "We all know the importance of statistics."

"Yeah, especially in an argument, huh Rachel?," replied Kurt.

Mercedes stepped between the two of them, "Ok, stop it, you two. It's not like we can't do what they just did."

"Really, that's rebellious of you, Mercedes. But haven't you been listening to a word I've said? A line is–"

Kurt suddenly hugged them and said frantically in a whisper, "Guys. Cute alert. Guy with the green ribbon,"

They disentangled to look for the guy Kurt was describing. Mercedes found him first. "Cute is right."

Kurt began to pull them towards the guy that had a green ribbon with his outfit. Rachel dragged herself, "What are we doing..?"

"_Hi_," Kurt breathed out to the guy.

"Oh, _hey_," the guy was smiling.

"So, the line is long, huh,"

"Yeah, it is. And it's about to get longer, it seems."

"Yes, yes. You're right. So, listen, can I take you up for a dance later on?"

"I–what?" the guy looked flustered.

Kurt raised his brow, "A dance, no..? Okay, well. How about you just let us in already? Save me from this mortifying conversation, you know? But I don't think I was wrong. I can sense when someone is–"

The guy held his hands up and then laughed, "Okay! Let me just have your tickets and I'll just stamp you.." he held out his forearm to show a mark of a mug of beer, "..like this."

Kurt never thought he'd be so attracted to a forearm. "Right." He turned to his friends and said, "You heard him, yeah?"

Rachel was hesitant at first, but she eventually gave in and gave her ticket, and got stamped.

* * *

"WELCOME TO THE BAYLA FOAM PARTY VI BY THE GAMMA SIGMA BROTHERHOOD!"

Rachel could feel her heart pound along with the bass. The center was barricaded with steel barriers. And though it had only the size of a swimming pool, it was _packed_. The foam machine seemed to be a bit faulty, so the foam was not yet copious. But every time it made funny sounds and spurted out generous amounts of foam, everyone hollered and cheered. They even heard one of the guys say, "Take a shot everytime it does that!" Outside of the pool-sized center, people lit up cigs and made out. There was a long line leading up to water containers that contained the free drinks. When Kurt, Mercedes, and Rachel finally got ahold of one, they decided that it was mixed drinks that tasted like _boring_ orange juice and that it probably won't get anyone drunk. In fact, if they were here to get drunk, they would have to pay extra for actual beer.

"Well eighteen for unlimited free drinks was really too good to be a great deal anyway," said Mercedes as she drank more.

Then Kurt took out his phone and started taking selfies.

And more selfies.

And even more selfies.

And then the guy from earlier came up to them and started taking pictures of them. They posed for him and then Kurt said, "Photographer, yeah?" The guy just smiled in reply and turned to other people and took pictures of them.

Rachel was feeling a little down. The real reason Rachel forced herself to buy the ticket and actually go was that she wanted to see if she would enjoy a College party. She considered it important that she would, so she hoped she would. But she didn't like the drinks (that tasted like _boring_ orange juice), the House music, the smell, nor the lights. She felt incredibly awkward just following her friends around and not dancing. In addition to that, her feet were stepped on twice already! She tried engaging Kurt and Mercedes in a conversation, but quickly found that this wasn't really a good place for one. Part of her wanted to stay to see if maybe she'll enjoy it as time goes by, but a bigger part of her wanted to go back to her dorm and whine to Finn and tell him how _right_ he was about everything.

Because she didn't want to ruin her friends' fun or make them worry, she sneakily slithered away from them as they danced. When she finally made it past the dancing crowd, fire dancers ran to the stage to do, well, fire dancing. The crowd ceased dancing to watch the men manipulate the flames. The crowd hollered especially loud when a woman breathed fire. Rachel was standing at the sides, watching them, when a guy with a mohawk knocked onto her, sending her propelling to someone who _of course_ had drinks to spill.

The guy with the mohawk's eyes widened, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! It was an accident!"

When Rachel was able to straighten herself, she looked up to the girl and apologized, "I'm SO sorry! This young man here," Rachel gestured to the mohawked guy, "accidentally shoved me onto you. I didn't mean to have your drink spilled. If you can find it in yourself to forgive me…or us, rather…I'm sure you can also find the patience to line up _again_ for your..orange juice. That was what was gonna happen sooner or later, am I right?"

"That was beer," replied the girl. "Maybe you can _find it in yourself_ to buy me one?" the girl then flashed her a (charming, in Rachel's opinion) smile.

Rachel shook her head, "I didn't bring any money with me. They did say the drinks were unlimited."

The guy beside them scoffed, "Man…so much for a good deal. It tastes so bad, I can _so_ mix drinks better."

The two girls looked at him weirdly after that. He grinned, "I'm THE Puck. I'm sure you've heard of me."

"Pretty sure I've seen your face on Google when I searched for 'Fuckboy'," replied the girl.

"You wound me." He then turned to Rachel. "Listen. I wanna make up for having drinks spilled onto your very bright shirt." He reached into his backpocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. "How 'bout it, yeah?" he offered.

Rachel crossed her arms, "Do I seem like someone who smokes?" Before Puck could offer something else, Rachel continued, "You really don't have to do anything. Just..go. And stop smoking..Puck. A hole in the throat won't be a flattering look on you."

"Can I at least have your number? Both of you? One of you?" Puck requested before the other girl hit her and told him to go away.

Then she turned to Rachel and said, "You owe me a beer."

"Well if you wanna be technical, Puck is actually–"

"No, I don't wanna be technical."

Rachel narrowed her eyes, "Alright. But I'm not comfortable with giving someone something detrimental to their health, so how about something else? Tea, perhaps? Or coffee..?"

Just then, another girl came up to them. "Hey Q! Who ya talkin' to?"

Rachel held out her hand, "I'm Rachel. Rachel Berry. I'm from BA Communication Arts."

The girl shoved her hand away and pulled Rachel into a hug. "I'm Brittany. I don't go here. I'm here for San." Rachel just then noticed the girl behind Brittany. She recognized her as the one who was irate at having to wait at the end of the line earlier. She asked her, "You're San?"

The tanned girl replied, "Nah I'm Quinn."

The girl whose drinks were spilled nudged the tanned girl. "Shut it." She then said to Rachel, "That's Santana. I'm Quinn Fabray. I'm currently taking up BA Sociology. And, you owe me beer. Or tea. Or coffee. Whatever."

"Can we do it some other time? I just really want to get back to my dorm now."

Brittany frowned, "Why, Rachel? Aren't you having fun?"

"It's not that–"

"It is _so_ that," Santana laughed.

Rachel huffed and said, "Fine. Yes, parties aren't really my scene… And now my shirt is ruined. So, really, I just want to get into clean clothes and snuggle up in my bed."

Quinn nodded, "Understandable."

"So, tomorrow? Do you want to have breakfast with me? And possibly my friends?"

"On second thought, let's just forget all of this." said Quinn. "It's…honestly ridiculous. It was all an accident, you don't really owe me anything."

Rachel was puzzled by Quinn's change of mind, but she just really, really wanted to go home, so she shrugged and said, "That it true… Anyway. It was nice meeting you, Quinn Fabray. You too, Brittany and Santana. I hope you have a good semester, not flunking out and whatnot. Also, please refrain from smoking. Nothing in it could be good for you. And be sure to say hi to me when we see each other on campus, alright?"

"How will I spot someone so small?" asked Santana.

Quinn hit her friend lightly, "Shut it." She turned back to Rachel, "Will do, Rachel Berry. Be safe on your way home."

And with that, the three went to the center to join the dancing crowd. For Rachel, it was time to call it a night and to get back to her dorm.

* * *

**A/N:** Hello, internet! I'm on Christmas Break, and I just had a tiring semester, haha! Anyway, merry christmas..or happy holidays, if you're not Catholic. I hope you enjoyed the minimal interaction between Rachel and Quinn, ahaha.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Rachel was running around the upper field of the campus early morning the next day when her_ workout playlist_ was paused and replaced by her ringtone. She bent her neck to look at the phone in her armband to see who was calling. Seeing it was Finn, she answered the call. "Good morning, Finn. What a surprise, having you call this early."

"Hey Rach! And yeah, I have a 7AM class. It sucks balls, but whatever, I guess…"

"Oh, what class?"

"I called to ask how your first college party went! _So_, how was it?" asked Finn, completely ignoring her question.

"I find you romanticize college parties a lot, Finn. That may be unhealthy in the long run."

"Oh come on, Rach. What kind of bro would I be if I didn't ask you, huh?"

Rachel sighed and then said, "Honestly? It kind'of…sucked. I didn't really like the atmosphere and everything. All I could hear was the bass! Also, my foot was stepped on for what felt like a hundred times! And to add insult to injury, I was shoved onto someone whose drinks spilled onto my shirt! Granted, it was all an accident, but still!"

Finn bellowed with laughter. "Rachel! That's awesome!" Rachel then heard even more laughter.

"Really, Finn. Nice to know you're taking pleasure on my miserable experience," said Rachel sardonically. She brushed off the sweat on her forehead.

The laughter ceased. "I'm sorry… But look at the bright side, Rachel. At least, now you know what it's like, and that you don't like it."

Rachel nodded to herself. "Yeah, you're right."

There was smugness in Finn's voice when he added, "I bet I was _also_ right about the drinks being _inadequate_. Ha, how's that for words?"

"Yes, you were. And I had no doubt you knew the word "inadequate", Finn."

"Wha–really? Does that mean you think I'm smart?" asked Finn, sounding surprised.

Just then, Rachel saw the girl she met last night. She was also running, wearing a sports bra and yoga pants, and Rachel wondered if there was something wrong with her workout routine, because _how can anyone look_ that _good_?

"I think you're smarter than you think you are. Anyway, I was actually running, so I'll end this call now, okay?"

"And I have class. Okay then, call ya later!" said Finn before the line went dead.

Her _workout playlist_ resumed, and so did her running.

Rachel slowed down on her fourth lap. Her need to slow down that day was odd, since she could usually run six laps before she started to feel exhausted. (Emphasis on the _started_).

_Perhaps this is because I was not able to get my usual eight hours of sleep?_

_Yes, that must be it. I came from a party, afterall._

There was a blur on her right side, and then the _most_ enticing scent made Rachel involuntarily shut her eyes to relish the smell. When she opened them, they gravitated towards a very, _very_ pleasant behind. They were bouncing and swaying so much, Rachel wanted to grab onto it and _worship_ it with her mouth.

Her thoughts made her stop running and blurt out, "OH MY GOD!" She brought her hands to her face in embarrassment. She could feel her face heat up. She could feel her _whole body_ heat up!

"Hey, you alright?" she heard a soft voice say.

Rachel sighed and replied, albeit muffled, "Yes. I guess I'm just… not myself today."

"You mean… you're feeling a bit sick? Maybe you should eat. Have you eaten?"

Rachel brought her hands down. And before she could pretend and say _"Oh, I totally didn't see you there, Quinn"_, Quinn's face lit up and said, "Rachel Berry! From last night, yeah?"

Rachel glanced at Quinn's workout clothes and blushed. "I–uh, yes." She rolled her eyes at herself and cleared her throat before continuing. "And you're Quinn Fabray, yes?"

Quinn flashed her a charming smile and nodded.

No one was saying anything and it was starting to get a bit awkward.

"So are you really–"

"I think I'll have–"

They both stopped speaking.

"You go first," they, again, said together.

Quinn opened her mouth to say something, and Rachel assumed it was to ask Rachel to go first, so she held her hand up and asked, "What were you going to say, Quinn?"

"I was going to ask if you were really feeling alright."

Rachel nodded, "Relatively, yes. There are just some things that I will have to reflect on when I get back to my dorm. I, on the other hand, was going to say that I think I should stop my workout now."

"Oh. Right. Well… I hope you feel better soon."

"Thanks. I hope you have a good day, Quinn."

Rachel let herself indulge in the sight of Quinn's _marvelous_ behind one last time before she walked back to her dorm. She was feeling quite hungry.

* * *

Kurt, Mercedes, and Rachel were eating lunch together at the Student Union building. Rachel was at first hesitant to eat there, but when Mercedes informed her of the many vegan choices available, she happily went. When they finished eating, Mercedes apologized to Rachel for "not being good companions".

"We're really sorry, Rachel. We got too caught up in the music and the dancing. We know it's not an excuse, but we do apologize, and we promise to be better next time."

Rachel furrowed her brows, "You were not bad companions, Mercedes. I'm glad you had fun. I was not enjoying the party, so I thought it would be more appropriate for me to leave, rather than force it. It's nothing personal. Just… Me finding out that I don't like that kind of party."

Mercedes chuckled, "Understandable." She then gestured to Kurt who was trying to be discreet with his texting. "This one, however, had fun in _great_ degrees."

"I don't know what you're talking about," said Kurt while blushing.

Mercedes rolled her eyes and replied, "Oh _please_. Flushed face and mussed up hair after following Mister Bow Tie to the bathroom? You so hooked up last night."

"Really? That's great, Kurt!" cheered Rachel, happy that her friend is starting to move on from Finn.

Kurt was silent for a few moments before he relented. "His name's Blaine," he said with a goofy smile. "And we didn't really do much. We just made out."

Rachel arched her brow and said, "Well now you're having a _conversation_. That's good, right?"

"True," replied Kurt. "Anyway, I heard that there's going to be a band competition this October. I figured I should tell you. What with your contemporary singing and whatnot."

Rachel chuckled, "Me… On a band competition?" She shook her head and said, "I'm feeling strange just saying it… But I'm sure I'll do very well in it, I am Rachel Berry afterall."

Kurt rolled his eyes good-naturedly.

"But I actually applied as a Teacher's Assistant, so it kind'of reduces my free time. I will be very busy, I might have no time for band meetings."

"A freshman can be a TA?"

"…A freshman _can't_ be a TA? Because I didn't tell Miss Cassie, and she never asked if I was."

* * *

Turns out, freshmen were discouraged from being a TA. It was a hefty task, and most freshmen don't do well because, apparently, being a TA while undergoing the process of adjusting to the culture of the academe is taxing. Rachel, of course, decided to take it as a challenge. She deemed herself up to the task so she didn't go to her professor's office to back out.

But on the fourth day of being a TA, Rachel was inclined to agree with what everyone was saying.

Being Miss Cassie's TA was stressful. She asked Rachel to do a lot of things, to the point where Rachel wondered if Miss Cassie considered her a student. At first it was easy. She was just instructed to make powerpoints. But since Rachel's hobbies actually include making powerpoint presentations, she did it all with little effort and had them submitted before the deadline. Then, she was asked to check the homeworks and other activities of Miss Cassie's students in 2 classes. It was…relatively easy, but Rachel preferred the making of powerpoints. _And then,_ Rachel was asked to look for supplementary readings! That was what stressed Rachel out the most. She also had papers to do, ergo, a lot of papers to study. She had no time to study papers that weren't of her interests _just_ to provide Miss Cassie's students more readings!

And so there she was: in the classroom while Miss Cassie did her lecture, sitting behind the computer, ready for whatever Miss Cassie demands.

She felt drowsy, so she opened the Excel file containing the photos and the student numbers of Miss Cassie's current class to keep herself awake.

She wasn't sure why she was even doing it, since it didn't really make her _not drowsy_. And just when she decided that she should just get up and excuse herself to splash water onto her face, she saw Quinn Fabray's photo, and beneath it her student number, in the Excel file.

Rachel found herself giddy and scanned the room. Her eyes searched and searched, until finally, she saw her.

Rachel rested her chin on her hand and fondly gazed at Quinn. This could _definitely_ keep her awake.

* * *

"Need some help with that?" asked Quinn, surprising Rachel who was fumbling with stacks of papers while trying to get her phone out of her bag.

"Give me a heart attack, why don't you?" grumbled Rachel.

Quinn laughed and took the stack of papers from Rachel.

"Thanks, Quinn." said Rachel as she was finally able to take out her phone. "I just have to add these things to my To-Do list before they slip out of my mind, and then you can be relieved of those."

"Sure," replied Quinn. "I thought you were a freshman."

Rachel continued typing in her phone before saying, "You're not wrong. I just was not aware of the consequences of being a TA while being a freshman."

"No one told you…?"

"Someone did, yes. I thought I could handle it, and I am! It's just… a bit more difficult because I am a TA of Miss Cassie," said Rachel, returning her phone to her bag. "Alright. Thank you, Quinn, really. Do you still have a class after this?"

Quinn handed her back the papers and said, "Yeah, I do. Do you need help with those?" Quinn gestured to the papers.

Rachel shook her head and said, "Let me handle this. Afterall, I did get myself into it." Quinn opened her mouth to, probably, protest, so Rachel flashed her a smile and beat her to it, "I'm sure I'll figure something out."

"Alright, if you say so…" teased Quinn. She then looked at her wristwatch. "Ah, I have to go now. See you next Thursday, _TA_?"

Rachel chuckled. "Of course, Quinn."

* * *

**A/N:** Hello, internet! To be perfectly honest, this story isn't planned. Well, it was. But I didn't follow through. This was supposed to be a sad oneshot, so. But right now I am trying to giving you guys a lot of interaction while maintaining the "college vibe" of it all. It is kind'of difficult, because, well. We all know how little the interaction with friends becomes in college. And Quinn and Rachel are still _friends_, so.

**A/N:** Also, if you received multiple emails, or went to chapter 2 and was greeted with a bunch of HTML codes, I apologize. I think my browser might be faulty.

**A/N:** _Anyway_, thank you for reading, and have a happy holidays!


	3. Molly

**Chapter 3**

"Honestly, Kurt. I didn't think you'd be having this problem. You made it seem like you could ride off into the sunset with him if given the chance," was the words Rachel overheard upon sliding into the booth with them.

"Good evening, Mercedes!" said Rachel while hugging her friend. "It's so good to see you!" She then turned to a miserable-looking Kurt. "I would greet you with the same sentiments but you do not look like you're having a good evening," teased Rachel.

Mercedes chuckled. "Kurt was just telling me that—"

"Things are moving a bit slower than usual, is all…" Kurt huffed, fingers fiddling with his bangs. Only then did Rachel notice that Kurt's hair did not have the same flair like it usually did.

Rachel furrowed her brows and asked, "Is this about your _romantic affair_ with that boy who kept on taking photographs of people at the party?"

Kurt huffed again. "His name's Blaine, Rachel."

Rachel's eyes widened at his tone. "Right. Of course. I remember. Blaine. I was just—I'm sorry, I mean—"

"_Kurt. Stop._" warned Mercedes. She then turned to Rachel and assured her, "_Girl_, don't be too quick to apologize. He's just in a mood, you know."

Kurt stopped fiddling with his bangs. "You're right. I'm just a bit _frustrated_, is all. All we do is text each other! I never get to see him!" He sighed.

Rachel tilted her head, "Isn't that how it's supposed to be at the beginning?"

Mercedes nodded. "Yes, but they do say that gay couples move faster than straight couples. _And_ Kurt's faster than the average gay guy." Mercedes then gestured for the waitress to come take their order. "Anyway, what are you guys getting?"

"What does being gay have to do with relationship pacing?" asked Rachel incredulously. "And I'll have the salad, please."

"And you, Kurt?"

"I'd like the cheesy bacon burger deluxe," replied Kurt.

Mercedes nodded and then said to the waitress, "Make that two, please."

The waitress nodded and then wrote down their orders. "So that'll be… 1 salad, and 2 cheesy bacon burgers. Would you like anything to drink?"

"We'll just have water, thanks," said Mercedes. The waitress jotted it down and proceeded to head back to the counter.

Rachel then asked Kurt, "Why don't you just tell him that you want to see him?"

Kurt grumbled. "I don't want to seem too _needy_."

"You're being ridiculous. There's nothing needy about that!"

Mercedes chuckled. "Boy does he really like Blaine if he's acting like this." Rachel hummed her agreement. The waitress then came to serve them glasses of water.

Kurt sipped from his glass before saying, "Enough about me. Rachel, have you considered joining the competition? We really think you'd do _well_ in it."

Rachel looked affronted. "_Do well?_" Rachel repeated with air quotes. "Kurt, if you must know, if I were to actually enter the competition, I'd be practicing as much as I can so that I may, as they say, bring home the bacon. I can't believe you'd insinuate that I'd only be _mediocre._"

Kurt stared at Rachel incredulously.

"_Fine._ Yes, I did think about joining. But who shall join with me? I don't know anyone that plays in a band, save for Finn. And it's not like he lives anywhere near…"

"How do you not know anyone that plays in a band, Rachel? Have you not been making any friends?" asked Kurt.

Rachel sighed. "I have, but I've been very busy, you know."

Mercedes then said, "Don't worry, Rachel. I'm sure _I_ can find some for you to join with."

Rachel smiled and replied, "Thanks, Mercedes."

"You really should join, Rachel. Do you know that a lot of professors plan to give extra credits to the student that wins? I hear that's because the president of the student organization is quite charming," said Kurt.

Rachel's interest piqued. "Yeah? I was not aware of this _little_ fact, Kurt. It's certainly motivating."

Kurt saw the waitress coming with their food and said, "Right? Exactly why Blaine is joining… _Anyway,_ food is here."

Rachel gasped. "Is _that_ why you keep insisting I join? Because Blaine is joining?"

Kurt looked away and replied, "He has nothing to do with this."

"Yes, he does! It's so you can always come to competitions without feeling like you're obsessed with Blaine!" Rachel crossed her arms. "Kurt, you're hurting my feelings a bit."

"Yeah, Kurt, that's a bit mean," said Mercedes after tasting her burger.

Kurt held his hands up and said, "Alright alright. I'm sorry, Rachel. I admit I was being manipulative." He then smiled at her. "You really _should_ join, though. Even though I would have been there mainly so I could be close to Blaine, I still plan on giving you full support. Making _banners_ and all that."

Rachel grinned. "I'm counting on that!"

* * *

Rachel was left alone in the lecture hall the following day. She was tasked to make a powerpoint for tomorrow's class by Professor Cassie, and was permitted to stay in the lecture hall until the campus guards decide to close all gates.

She had just sent the file to her professor when she heard the loud clanging of distant drums. Now curious, Rachel closed her laptop and exited the lecture hall. She followed the sounds until she found herself in front of the door to another lecture hall rooms away from where she was just working. Rachel discreetly stood by the door and listened to the lead sing a song she'd heard on the radio a few times.

_1, 2, 3 they gonna run back to me_

_Cause I'm the best baby that they never gotta keep_

_1, 2, 3 they gonna run back to me_

_They always wanna come, but they never wanna leave_

_Ex's and the oh, oh, oh's they haunt me_

_Like ghosts they want me to make 'em all_

_They won't let go_

_Ex's and oh's!_

_They're quite good, though they seem like they didn't practice much._ Rachel thought to herself.

All of a sudden, the loud clanging of the drums stopped. And then Rachel heard a male voice say, "Guys, I'm really not sure about this. This will be the third time we're gonna audition, and we _still_ sound the same! I'm sick of this."

Rachel then overheard the vocalist reply, "Why are you being such an asshole? I'm doing my best, you know."

"Yo, I said nothing about your voice," came from the male voice.

"But that's what you _mean._ You're blaming me for this."

There was a long silence, and then the door burst open, leaving Rachel stunned when the vocalist saw her.

"_Well,_ what do you know? Maybe I sounded good enough for this one to eavesdrop!" She rolled her eyes at Rachel and then walked out of the building. Rachel bit the inside of her cheek.

"Hey! Wait, I know you!" came from the male voice. Rachel turned to him and saw that he was sitting by the drums. He stood up and came closer. "You're totally that girl who wouldn't shut up about how smoking was bad during my brothers' party!"

Rachel waved her hand at him and replied, "Hey, Puck." She then turned apologetic. "Be assured that I did not mean to overhear your conversation. I was working in one of the rooms down there," Rachel gestured to the other lecture hall, "when I heard the music. I quite like the song you all were playing, so I decided to stay close to this room until you finished with _Ex's and Oh's_. I promise that's all this is!" She tried for a charming smile to show she was innocent.

"Well, how was it?" asked the girl with the guitar.

Rachel furrowed her brows. "How was what?"

"The performance."

"It was alright."

"Be serious."

"_Fine._ The drums were too much, it has the potential to drown out the vocals. And the vocalist, she fell flat on the last part."

The girl strummed her guitar and asked, "And the rhythm?"

Rachel smiled while assuring her, "The rhythm was fine."

The girl walked towards Rachel and held out her hand. "My name is Molly! It's real nice to meet you, …?"

Rachel shook Molly's hand and replied, "Rachel. My name's Rachel."

"It's nice to meet you, Rachel." Molly placed her guitar on a chair and continued, "So. You seem to know your way around music."

"I've been singing and dancing since I was _three months old!_" replied Rachel enthusiastically.

"What!?" exclaimed Puck. "That's insane."

"_Insanely good._" Rachel looked smug.

"_So,_ say we offered you the position of _lead vocals,_ you'd…?" Molly trailed off.

"I'd tell you that I will have to think about it! I'm actually a TA this semester, and therefore am very busy." replied Rachel.

"Well, maybe you can text me when you've made your decision?" said Molly while she looked for a piece of paper in her bag. When she finally found one, she wrote down her number and handed it to Rachel.

"Yeah Rach, you should join us. If we win we get a lot of extra points from professors. Ya know that?" said Puck.

Tucking the piece of paper into her back pocket, Rachel replied, "Yes, I am aware of that fact. Which is exactly why I'll be giving this _a lot_ of thought. I mean, I'm not just a TA. I also have dance lessons, ballet classes, _etcetera_."

Molly smiled at Rachel, "Okay, _big shot._ Just make sure to tell us, even if it's a 'No'. Once you do, we'll start groveling for Gabriel to come back." Molly chuckled while Puck groaned.

Just then, the three of them heard graceful footsteps, and afterward a, "Hey Molly, you ready to go?"

Rachel recognized that voice.

Molly suddenly seemed flustered, red dusting her cheeks and her eyes widening as she hastily grabbed her backpack and her guitar from one of the chairs.

Rachel turned to the door, and confirmed her suspicions. "Good afternoon, Quinn."

"Rachel! Hi!" replied Quinn enthusiastically. "What are you doing here?"

Rachel was about to answer when Molly cut her off with the question, "You two know each other?"

Quinn nodded. "We met at the recent foam party."

"Well, Rachel here might be our new vocalist soon," said Molly. "And yeah, let's head back."

"Yeah? That's really great, you guys." Quinn then turned to Rachel. "Well, we really should get going now. See you soon, Rachel!" She and Molly then walked out of the room.

"I don't get a goodbye?" inquired Puck. Rachel laughed.

Puck smiled at Rachel and said, "Molly's got the _biggest_ crush on Quinn. That's why normally-cool-and-aloof becomes red-as-a-tomato when Quinn is around."

Rachel didn't know what to say. "Oh really? And does Quinn know?"

Puck shrugged, "I have no idea what's going on between them."

Rachel felt irrationally sad at the thought of _anything_ that might be 'between Molly and Quinn'.

"Although by the looks of it I'm thinking Molly hasn't told her yet," added Puck.

Rachel just shrugged and said, "I suppose it's their business though."

Puck agreed. "Well, _we_ should also head home now. Don't wanna be locked in or something."

"Yes, we should," said Rachel. "See you soon, Puck."

"See ya, babe!"

* * *

**A/N:** _I know._ I'm sorry hahahaha


End file.
